Electricity at Cannon Air Force base will shut down from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday for repairs to the power grid, according to a base news release. Non-mission essential personnel are ordered to stand by and not report for duty until directed by their commanders, according to the release. The following services and offices […]

By Kevin Wilson: Freedom New Mexico Cannon Air Force Base is expecting a lot of families, and it’s expecting a lot of kids in tow. Base officials are hoping a pair of construction projects will provide enough to house more than 300 children between two facilities. Currently, the two centers, the Chavez Child Development Center […]

Freedom New Mexico At their meeting set for 7 p.m. today, Portales city councilors are set to hold a public hearing about the proposed annexation of Sunland Inc. and the accompanying zone change. They are scheduled to vote on the issue. The agenda also includes a planning commission report and recommendation on the final plat […]

Freedom New Mexico A meeting discussing the opportunities and pitfalls of leasing land for wind energy facilities and the benefits of joining a landowners association is set for 6 p.m until 9 p.m. Monday in the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation board room, 100 S. Ave. A. An expert will speak at 6 p.m. and […]

Cannon Connections file photo Rental residential properties in Portales are “at a historic low,” according to Roosevelt County Economic Development Corp. Director Gregg Fisher. He attributes the shortage to the populations at Eastern New Mexico University and at Cannon Air Force Base. By Argen Duncan: Cannon Connections Portales has few vacancies among residential rental properties, […]

By Argen Duncan PNT Senior Writer Portales has very few vacancies among residential rental properties, which underlines the need for more housing to sustain population growth, the local economic development director says. Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation Director Greg Fisher said he conducted a telephone survey Monday of 581 units, almost 25 percent of those […]

By Argen Duncan: PNT senior writer The next two weeks could see the beginning of relief for what many see as a housing shortage in Portales.. Mel Ottley, president of Mock Homes of Albuquerque, said he plans to begin building three model homes in the Baca Subdivision on University Drive west of Eastern New Mexico […]

PNT Staff The chief of New Mexico’s Economic Development Department hailed the expansion of Sunland Inc. peanuts as a model for other cities across the state. Fred Mondragon’s remarks came Thursday while in Portales for a tour of the peanut processing plant and Eastern New Mexico University. Mondragon is secretary of the state economic development […]

By Argen Duncan: PNT senior writer What do you get when you combine dough, tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni? Economic development. Well, pizza, too. Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza is one of about 20 new businesses the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation has helped locate in Portales since Greg Fisher took over as director […]

By Clarence Plank: PNT Staff Writer As New Mexico’s population continues to grow, encounters with displaced wildlife are becoming common place in rural and suburban communities. For wildlife biologists Zach Jones and Tony Gennaro at Eastern New Mexico University, running into snakes in the field is common. Gennaro said he gets phone calls about snakes […]

Cannon Connections photo: Argen Duncan Two-year-olds at the Cannon Air Force Base Child Development Center, from left, Jacob Clines, Natasha Cotton and Kaira Morgan, play under the care of program technician Norma Alonso. By Argen Duncan: Cannon Connections $26.4 million in federal stimulus money is going into improving the quality of life and utilities at […]

Portales Mayor Orlando Ortega Jr. has been appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson as a member of the New Mexico Workforce Development Board through Dec. 31, 2012. Ortega was sworn in by City Clerk Joan Martinez-Terry at City Hall on Thursday. The board exists in state and federal statute to ensure workers across the state have […]

The New Mexican Days remaining in session: 25 Development bill: The House Taxation and Revenue Committee has approved a measure (HB552) that would allow infrastructure development zones to be set up with local government approval. The bill, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Nambe, would allow newly developed areas to pay for their own infrastructure […]

The New Mexican Days remaining in session: 30 Green measures: A pair of bills in the Senate, (SB318) and (SB420), aim to promote green jobs in the state. Sen. Eric G. Griego, D-Albuquerque, is carrying the bills. One would require spending of a minimum of $1 million each year from the Development Training Fund for […]

By Steve Terrell: The New Mexican A California development company that has been advertising in New Mexico in recent weeks might be in violation of state lobbyist laws, according to a complaint filed Thursday with the Secretary of State’s Office. SunCal, which is planning a project on Albuquerque’s West Mesa, has advertised on television and […]

Friday Child Development Center Open House — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., CDC. Learn more about the program and tour the facility. Social Hour — 4:30 p.m., The Landing. Karaoke Friday — 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., The End Zone.

By Argen Duncan: PNT Senior Writer The Portales City Council voted to provide about $11,400 to Rooney Moon Broadcasting for expansion and digital conversion. At their meeting Tuesday night in City Hall, councilors unanimously approved a recommendation to that effect from Greg Fisher, director of the Roosevelt County Community Development Corp. City Manager Debra Lee, […]

Three parcels of land were designated for purchase by the Portales City Council under the Community Development grant program. Only one family was occupying a house in the grant area and plans were being made to help relocate the family.

By Sarah Meyer, PNT Staff Writer The Portales City Council sped through its business Tuesday, finishing in 30 minutes. Councilors quickly approved most agenda items and tabled two business items. Among the items approved was a notice of intent to adopt an ordinance that will allow the city to receive funding from the New Mexico […]

By Karl Terry, PNT Managing Editor After a little more than nine months on the job as economic development director, Greg Fisher gave a progress report at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “Really what this effort has been all about is a partner ship,” Fisher said. “We’ve been prospecting for new business but most importantly about […]